Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Matamoros Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Matamoros

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,641 in Medellin versus $1,245 in Matamoros.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,447 in Medellin versus $1,953 in Matamoros.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,253 in Medellin versus $2,660 in Matamoros.

Living in Medellin is roughly 32% more expensive than in Matamoros, driven mainly by Getting Around.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 19% above, Matamoros is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.04 COP 24.8K

$11.95 MX$203

-32.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.29 COP 148.6K

$47.23 MX$801

2.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.42 COP 29.0K

$9.18 MX$156

2.61%

Cappuccino

$2.94 COP 9,040

$3.71 MX$62.9

-20.75%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 COP 5,735

$1.50 MX$25.48

24.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 COP 4,479

$1.15 MX$19.47

26.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 COP 9,882

$2.90 MX$49.27

10.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.71 COP 17.6K

$4.48 MX$76.1

27.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 COP 4,428

$1.76 MX$29.87

-18.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.40 COP 7,389

$2.77 MX$46.94

-13.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,228

$1.82 MX$30.86

-6.59%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 8,896

$2.54 MX$43.13

13.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.06 COP 30.9K

$8.72 MX$148

15.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.97 COP 30.7K

$8.75 MX$148

13.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.20 COP 43.7K

$12.41 MX$210

14.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.98 COP 12.3K

$2.87 MX$48.61

38.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 COP 4,878

$1.62 MX$27.54

-2.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 COP 6,624

$2.09 MX$35.53

2.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.30 COP 7,078

$1.95 MX$33.11

17.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 COP 6,169

$2.06 MX$34.90

-2.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 COP 4,646

$1.91 MX$32.42

-20.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 COP 3,701

$1.52 MX$25.74

-21.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 COP 3,946

$1.16 MX$19.67

10.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.84 COP 11.8K

$4.62 MX$78.4

-16.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.01 COP 43.1K

$11.60 MX$197

20.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 COP 5,256

$1.94 MX$32.86

-11.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 COP 8,440

$3.28 MX$55.7

-16.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 COP 3,834

$0.68 MX$11.55

83.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.9 COP 239.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.31 COP 4,016

$2.72 MX$46.18

-51.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.17 COP 6,680

$2.14 MX$36.26

1.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.29 COP 25.5K

$12.00 MX$204

-30.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 COP 4,172

$1.56 MX$26.49

-12.82%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$27.5K COP 84.5M

$22.6K MX$382.7K

21.77%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$36.5K COP 112.4M

$25.6K MX$433.8K

42.89%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$169 COP 519.2K

$61.9 MX$1,049

172.74%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$13.57 COP 41.8K

$24.37 MX$413

-44.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.32 COP 87.2K

$32.52 MX$552

-12.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.71 COP 140.7K

$37.03 MX$628

23.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.22 COP 53.0K

$21.35 MX$362

-19.34%

Cinema Ticket

$6.65 COP 20.5K

$5.72 MX$97.1

16.26%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$803 COP 2.5M

$245 MX$4,155

227.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,190 COP 28.3M

$5,000 MX$84.8K

83.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.4 COP 268.8K

$57.8 MX$981

51.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.4 COP 182.7K

$45.52 MX$772

30.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 427.5K

$108 MX$1,829

28.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 COP 314.0K

$91.5 MX$1,552

11.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,071 COP 3.3M

$652 MX$11.1K

64.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$653 COP 2.0M

$424 MX$7,187

54.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,925 COP 5.9M

$1,117 MX$18.9K

72.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,048 COP 3.2M

$827 MX$14.0K

26.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,123 COP 12.7M

$1,989 MX$33.7K

107.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,697 COP 5.2M

$1,213 MX$20.6K

39.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$655 COP 2.0M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.3

-3.19%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Medellin: September 7, 2026

Last update for Matamoros: September 5, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,071 in Medellin and $652 in Matamoros. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48.00 in Medellin vs $47.00 in Matamoros for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $300 vs $281 per month, with Matamoros cheaper across the board.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Medellin vs Matamoros: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Matamoros wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Matamoros the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,462 in Medellin and $1,868 in Matamoros to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,071 in Medellin versus $652 in Matamoros. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $803 in Medellin versus $245 in Matamoros. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Matamoros – a meal for two runs $47.00 versus $48.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,245 in Matamoros versus $1,641 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Matamoros but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Matamoros the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Matamoros delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,245 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Matamoros hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Matamoros gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.